Composite fiber and process of making the same.



P. M. HAMLIN.

COMPOSITE FIBER AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME.

I APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1907. I '93 1 ,865, Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

' UNITED- STAT-as. oFFliQE,

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Specification Iiet terl lzgten t, Rat ented Aug; 24 190;

Application filed Kay 26, [907. Serial No, 876,567.

'To all whom it mag cement:

as 'it known that I, Pumsru M. l IuMnm, a citizen of the United States,resld mg at Shurnan' street, Catawissa, county of Columbia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inComposite Fiber and Processes of Making the Same, fully described andrepresented in the following specification and the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of the same.

The resent invention consists of a composite her and the process ofmanufacturing the same.

The fiber embodies wood cellulose and straw cellulose incorporatedtogether when first reduoedfrom the wood and straw, so as to'produoe afiber of composite nature having a Substance of homogeneous character.

The object of the invention is to produce a fiber having the qualitiesof both wood and straw cellulose, but possessing characteristics verydifferent from, and su erior to any mere mixture made from previouslymanufactured wood and straw cellulose.

The incorporation of the two fibers is effected in a manner which avoidsthe use of a beating engine to intimately min le the fibers, the twobers being mingled W ile in aheated condition immediately upon theirextraction from the raw materials. Thisis efi'ected by reducin thefibers simultaneously in separate digesting vessels by any suitablechemical treatment, and commingling the resulting fibers by blowingthcontents of the di esters into contact with one another in a sultableblow-tank. The fibers are thus combined'while'mingled with the chemicalliquor required in the di esting process, and while they are still in aeated condition. which greatly softens the fibers and adapts them tocommingle and interlace in a manner which can never be effected afterthey have cooled and the liquor has been washed from them. Theamalgamation oi the fibers is greatlyfacilitated by the expansion orexplosion of the steam in the tissues.

The product thus obtained is not a I mere mixture of bleached fibers.

The product-is not claimed in the presentappllcation, but only theprocess for producing it.

- Pine and analogous woods are largely employed for the manufacture ofwood cellulose; but it is a well known fact that the cellulose obtainedfrom pine and other analogous woods, while possessing considerablestrength, is unsatisfactory for the manufacture ofstrong fine papersuntil subsequently treated in the refining engine.

The process employed 'for making wood fiber from pine'or other analogouswoods produces a pulp of soft spongy character and uneven appearance,technically known as mottled, and this appearance can only be correctedby treating'the fiber in beating and refinin engines'for a suflici'ent'time to make the fi er smooth and uniform in appearance.

The chemical treatment employed in reducing the wood produces a longfiber; but

smoothing and hardening the wood fiber,

without diminishing its stren th by the'admixture of the'harder fiber ostraw.

Straw fiber possesses a fiber of hard, dense character but too short tobe used for making strong paper, and, I have found that by previouslyfinished and combining such straw cellulose with the long fiber of woodcellulose, the straw cellulose in a peculiar manner is greatlystrengthened while the wood cellulose is rendered harder and smoother.thus producing composite fiber which possesses a greater strength thanthe straw cellulose, and a greater smoothness and hardness than the woodcellulose.

invention can be practiced by combining the cellulose from pine or otheranalolnixture of fibers. but is a composite fiber of 3 gous Wood withthe cellulose made from rice.

unbleached character. which is readily distinguished by itscharacteristics from any rye, whetgt, or other stra-w.

An apparatus which may be employed to practice this invention isshowngina diagrammatic manner inthe annexeddrawin A being the wood digester, Bthestraw digester and Othe'blow-tank. l I

6 D is amanhole u onthe wood digester to introduce the woo and thechemwa'lsrequired for reducing the same.

E is a pipe supplyingsteam" of-suitable temperature and pressure to thedigester A;

10 I a blow-off cock at thebottom of the "di pipe connectingsuchpratice,into abafile tank C-Qwithint disintegrated.

tank so thatit is'thordughlg.

and mingled; and wash pan are shown beneath the blow-tank into whichthe. contents ofthe tank are a movable nozzle N; A, receptacle: 1 is;own-below the -P J t ce e th -.jfihe s-ir n 80 washed;- The worm-wheelsof the blow-ofi cocks I, I, are connected b a shaft- Kf, ai id-. a shafthavin a hand-whee K is connected therewith by vel-gearsL sothat anopera-1 tor can'. empty both of the. digestersjsimul-l.

' ratel reducing the wood to produce wood roduce straw.

.taneously into the blow-tanks w The materials areintroduced intothe-.respective digesters and ,treatedin such a manner that thereduction of both to fiber is concluded at-the same time, andtheblow-ofi.

cocks I, I, are then simultaneously opened and 'the products of both diesters are discharged together into the b ow-tank. The

' blow-tank is commonly open: at thetpfi), The two fibers are .disc'rged from' the gesters under suclli'flpressure and 'v'elo'cit that theyare thoroug ydisintegrated an intimately mingled with one another,-andare so thorough homogeneous substance possess thequalities 0 both fibersand having di erent characteristics from any fiber. heretofore'known. iSuch result is'produced bythe d-isruptijon of the tissues in contactwith one another, in a heated and consequently soft condition, by

the expansion of the steam, and the explo-.; sive nature of thedischarge; which min ice the wood and straw cellulose together w endischarged simultaneously from separate di;

The resence of the reducing-liquor during suc .intermingling' of.the-.tissues-alsohas a solvent effect upon the cellulose in the woodand'straw, and unites them in a more rfeet manner than is possible afterthey ave been washed or bleached, or subjected th ot m of h savesexpense and labor in its The composite fiber may thus discharge-18mg, in

y amalgamated as to produce a.

-to any refining which would shorten mam plaimed herein is an uncom tein which the long fiber of w' and the short fiber of straw. 1

are intimately ical treatment sof eflectively combinedpaper*machine.,-;.-This composite fi r is readily distinguished by itscolor from. any

mingedwithout any mechanmixture of previously manufactured, or .bleachedfibers. This duplex or composite I fiber is capable ofmaking a dense,strong, high-grade pa per, and can be used without treating itmjurio'usly in a engine, j nd. its method offmanufacture therefore,avoids injury to the wood-fiber while t gerep'aration.

prepared .for use inmakin hi hade af rs'withg g fifoi-ttei" outimpairing the stren ber. The means for making this composite .fiber byreduction of the two materials separately and blowingthe productstogether, under pressure, is not claimed herein; butis made the subjectof a separate application, No. 375,568 filed May 25 1907.

Having thus set "invention what is claimed herein is:

1l'The' process of making a composite -fiber of wood cellulose and strawcellulose, which consists in simultaneously but sepacellu ose andthestraw to cellulose, and then mingling t e wood celluliquor 12.,Theprocess of making a com os'ite iorth the nature of the fiber ofwood cellulose and straw eel ulose,

multaneously by se arate treatments, and

.-'which consists first, in reducing the -wood and straw to fiber withchemical liquor 'sisecond, simultaneou y discharging the two fibers withthe chemical liquor under ressure into contact. with one another .toisintegrate them and unite them nto a composite" 3. 'The process ofmaking a com "site" fiber of wood cellulose and straw cel ulgsa"simultaneously disintegrating the.

twofihersgin contact with one another to mingle and amalgamatethemthorou'ghly. I 'l w! hand in e presence of two subscrib ng .VULASKIM. HAMLIN.

wi ness fj -witnes s J G. :VA wmim,

ELIZABETH "Da Ham.

ereof I have hereunto set-

